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Marvin Harrison Jr., Denzel Burke and Ohio State’s defensive under Pressure for the Cotton Bowl
Ahead of Ohio State’s matchup with the Missouri Tigers in the Cotton Bowl, Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles along with OSU’s defensive players previewed the Tigers’ explosive offense.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State is in Dallas, Texas, preparing to face Missouri in the Cotton Bowl to close out the regular season and may be without an important member of its offense.
A small portion of the Buckeyes’ Tuesday practice was open to the media, revealing that Marvin Harrison Jr., though in attendance, is not actually participating in practice, hinting that his college career may be over. So far, he is the only Buckeye expected to opt out of the New Year’s Six bowl game.
After that, OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles spoke with the media along with a handful of defensive players. On this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss what Nathan saw and heard in Dallas.
The Ohio State Buckeyes defense, apart from a few drives against Michigan, has been a formidable force all of the 2023 season. Under coordinator Jim Knowles, the Buckeyes allowed the third fewest yards (3,119), and the lowest number of touchdowns (13) in the nation this year.
This Friday, the group will be playing what defensive back Denzel Burke considers one of the best offenses the Buckeyes have faced: No. 9 Missouri. The Tigers offense averaged the 21st most yards per game (441.8) and the 17th most points per game (34) under first-year offensive coordinator Kirby Moore.
The Ohio State defense is not taking the Tigers’ offense lightly ahead of their matchup in the 88th annual Cotton Bowl.
“Very explosive offense, talented team,” safety Josh Proctor said. “Quarterback (Brady Cook) is a 3,000 yard passer, they got a 1,000 yard-rusher (Cody Schrader), a 1,000 yard receiver (Luther Burden). So we gotta come with it. It’s not going to be an easy game and we know that.”
One of Ohio State’s biggest defensive stars is junior defensive back Denzel Burke. The NFL-Draft prospect shines in man coverage, allowing very little space for opposing receivers to operate. He was complimentary of the Tigers’ offensive weapons and creativity in the passing game.
“They use their receivers in a lot of different ways,” Burke said. “Number three (Burden) is all over the place. He’s probably the best player on the team. Number seven (Schrader) the running back is a good back, runs hard. Quarterback (Cook) is solid, has a good arm and he can extend plays.”
“It’s challenging because they do spread the field I think they create openings for their receivers and mismatches,” Knowles said. “There is a lot of motions, there’s a lot of shifts so they do a great job of getting those guys free.”
